Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautisa goes yard twice in loss

by Marty Gitlin | CBSSports.com

(8/1/15)Jose Bautista could finish this season with the worst batting average of his career, but he simply continues to produce for the Blue Jays. The latest example was in a Saturday defeat to visiting Kansas City.

Bautista mashed two home runs for his first multi-dinger day since June 15. He crashed solo homers in the fifth and ninth innings after singling and scoring in the fourth. He now has 23 homers and 70 RBI on the year despite a .237 average.

His big afternoon ended a 7-for-43 slide at the plate.

Blue Jays' Jose Bautista able to start as DH on Wednesday

by Jason Lempert | Staff Writer

(7/29/15) Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is good to go for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, as he is in the starting lineup. Bautista left Tuesday's games due to a cramp, but he was never overly concerned about the issue.

He is the designated hitter on Wednesday, and it is not yet known when Bautista will return to the field.

Blue Jays' Jose Bautista leaves game with possible hamstring injury

Bautista pulled up while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning. He appeared to grab his right hamstring and left the game.

Bautista went 0 for 4 in the game and grounded into a double play. He's 1 for his last 14.

After the game, Bautista tweeted, "Tough loss tonight, on to the next one. For those of you who actually care it was just a cramp. I expect to be in there tomorrow."

Jose Bautista homers again for Blue Jays

by Shawn Krest | CBSSports.com

(7/25/15) Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista hit a solo home run in Friday's loss to Seattle.

Bautista has homered in four of the last six games and has 21 on the year. He went 1 for 3 with a walk. Four of Bautista's last six hits have been home runs.

Blue Jays' Jose Bautista homers for third straight day

by Shawn Krest | CBSSports.com

(7/22/15) Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista went 1 for 5 in Tuesday's win over Oakland.

Bautista hit a solo home run, the third straight game he's homered. Bautista hit in six of the last seven games. Tuesday's homer was the 223rd of his career, which ties Vernon Wells for second on the Blue Jays' all-time list. Carlos Delgado is the Jays' leader with 336 home runs.

"That's awesome because I really came here from a shaky situation in Pittsburgh and I was given an opportunity," Bautista said, per MLB.com. "Everybody embraced me and welcomed me here and I've always been appreciative and I try to remind people that I'm really thankful for that.

2014 summary:Jose Bautista entered 2014 with the Blue Jays on a slow and steady decline, his slugging percentage dropping for three consecutive seasons as the injuries became more prevalent. But he reversed both trends last season, finishing with the majors' 12th-best slugging percentage (minimum 400 at-bats) while playing 155 games to re-emerge as a top-flight Fantasy option. In Head-to-Head points leagues, he was the fifth-best hitter on a per-game basis (again, minimum 400 at-bats), and with one of his better batting averages, he was no slouch in Rotisserie either.

Playing time status: Bautista had averaged just 119.7 games in the three seasons leading up to 2014, missing most of the time because of injuries to his wrist, back and hip. His high-torque swing, which is how he generates so much bat speed, predisposes him to such injuries, keeping him something of a risk at age 34.

2015 outlook: Even during his decline, Bautista remained one of the game's best power hitters, and his terrific batting eye makes him a stud in Head-to-Head points leagues regardless of his batting average. He's a clear first-rounder in those formats even with the perceived injury risk but might slide to the second round in Rotisserie leagues since he's sometimes a liability in batting average.
(Updated 12/16/14)